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High-NA-EUVL ASML's high-NA EUVL equipment is set to arrive at Samsung and TSMC

From Susanne Braun | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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According to rumors, Intel is no longer the only ASML customer to be supplied with high-NA EUVL equipment. The first of the devices is expected to be installed at Samsung by Q1 2025, and the equipment is also expected to arrive at TSMC this year.

It takes weeks, sometimes even months, for a Twinscan EXE:5000 system from ASML to be installed.(Image: ASML)
It takes weeks, sometimes even months, for a Twinscan EXE:5000 system from ASML to be installed.
(Image: ASML)

In January 2024, reports indicated that TSMC, the world’s leading contract manufacturer, showed little interest in acquiring high-NA EUVL (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) machines from ASML, despite the growing importance of such technology for advancing semiconductor fabrication. Several factors could explain this decision. The reasons for such a decision could be manifold.

Compared to older NA-EUVL machines, the much larger high NA-EUVL lithography devices require a different set-up for previous production lines, and in some cases even different production halls. The price for the equipment is estimated at 300 to 400 million US dollars per unit, and not every chip manufacturer is convinced that the exposure process with the new equipment is efficient and cost-effective in the long term.

And then there is the queue from ASML, which currently stands at around 15 to 20 orders. The High-NA-EUVL machinery is complicated and not built in the blink of an eye; this can be seen from the fact that it takes several months to install and calibrate the equipment. It is said that ASML would be able to produce five to six of the High-NA-EUVL systems per year.

In a nutshell: At the beginning of the year, TSMC was rumored to have shown no interest in ASML's most valuable machines, while the first machine had already been assembled at Intel—in the meantime, two of the five to six planned lithography machines are said to be at Intel. The cards are now slightly different, as the assembly of high-NA-EUVL is said to have started at Samsung and TSMC is set to receive the first machine this year, as reported by the authors of WCCFTech based on a report by Nikkei Asia. The device will then be installed at the TSMC R&D center near the headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

"Premium" for chip manufacturers

According to ASML, the Twinscan EXE:5000 high-NA lithography system offers the highest productivity. Compared to the most advanced machines to date, the Twinscan EXE:5000 with an EUV wavelength of 13.5 nm offers a resolution of 8 nm. This makes it possible to produce chips that are 1.7 times smaller and allow up to 2.9 times the transistor density.

It may be some time before the system (or systems, depending on how many TSMC has ordered) is used for mass production. It is expected in industry circles that High-NA-EUVL will be used for TSMC's A14 generation at the earliest, with mass production targeted from 2027. High-NA-EUVL will then be fully utilized for the more advanced generations, where the efficiency of the advanced process technology should be noticeable. (sb)

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